from Stephen Whyno of the CP at the Globe and Mail,

The defending Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings, up-and-coming Winnipeg Jets and rebuilding Calgary Flames came into the season with very different expectations.

With the playoffs fast approaching, those three teams are neck-and-neck, likely competing for two spots in the Western Conference. Each has experienced adversity, but that’s no consolation for the one that ends up on the outside looking in.

“There’ll be 16 teams that earn it, and nobody asks after the fact if you didn’t have this player, or that guy got hurt or you had this schedule,” Flames general manager Brad Treliving said last week in Boca Raton, Fla. “You either earn it or you don’t.”

Earning it means something entirely different to the Flames, Jets and Kings.

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